


The Third and The Fourth

by CypherChase



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27371824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CypherChase/pseuds/CypherChase
Summary: After Bill Cipher's defeat by the guardians of Gravity Falls, the Mystery Twins return back to California with fond summer memories full of adventure and new friends. But when Grunkle Stan reveals a horrifying secret about the Pines family, Dipper and Mabel find themselves in a race for their lives as they try to save both their loved ones and the fate of the world once again.
Relationships: Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. The Axolotl

Bill opened his eye to a landscape of pure white that stretched infinitely in every direction. The infiltration was a success (not like he expected to fail)! He was now alone inside Ford's helpless Mindscape. The dimensional meddler would be forced to give him what he wanted, and then the Prophecy would be truly fulfilled.

"Oh, I'm here. I'm finally here! Look at this place: a perfect, calm, orderly void," he proclaimed proudly to himself. An undertone of mockery was present as well; did Ford really think all this time the dream demon could be defeated?

Bill turned around and spotted a lone door in the distance. 'That must be where Ford kept all his secrets!' he thought. He could hardly contain his excitement as he floated over and placed his hand on the doorknob. What could be on the other side? Bill betted on an immaculately clean room full of bookshelves containing Ford's archived works. Just step in, do what he was best at and step out with the key to unleashing his never-ending party on a global scale.

He could picture the old man clad in a dirty lab coat as he half begged half bawled on the floor. " _No! Please! Leave my mind alone, Bill. I'll give you anything you want!_ "

" _Too late Sixer, you had your chance._ " Bill would say before blasting him aside. " _I told you I would get my hands on that equation sooner or later. And to think those two bratty kids who you didn't even know existed until a month ago were worth more to you than a lifetime of work. Ha ha ha ha!_ " He would burn the whole place to the ground until the equation he sought was the only thing left. With it in his hand, he would step over his lifeless body and walk away victorious.

Bill eagerly opened the door, "Gotta hand it to ya, Ford. You really know how to clear your m -"

Instead, he found himself in a small den complete with stone walls, matted rug and junky furniture. This was not the immaculately clean room he envisioned. Most shocking of all, the old man lounging in the armchair in his dirty underwear and undershirt wasn't Ford at all.

It was his twin brother Stan. The realization that he had been tricked came crashing down on him a split second later.

"WHAT?!" he cried. This had to be an illusion. There was no way he accidentally entered his twin's Mindscape. Unless ...

"Heh heh! Do a pretty good impression of my brother, don't I?" smirked Stan as he played with a paddleball. "Switch clothes and no one can tell us apart. Welcome to my mind. Surprised you didn't recognize it."

"WHAT?!" Bill cried again, this time quivering with rage. His worst fear was confirmed causing his insides to boil hotter than a thousand suns. Eons of planning Weirdmagaddeon were about to be foiled by this childish prank! "The deal's off!" he yelled lividly. Suddenly, intense blue flames ignited the walls and furniture. Bill knew all too well what that meant. "What the … No, no, no, no!"

"Oh yeah, you're going down Bill," taunted Stan. "Memory gun, pretty clever huh?"

Bill wanted to rip out his throat then shove it down his mouth. How could he, an interdimensional monstrosity of unmatched power and no weakness, be outsmarted so easily? His dream of world domination formulated from billions of years of prophesying that was just mere inches away from his fingertips were being dashed by a mortal conman!

"You idiot! Don't you realize you're destroying your own mind too?!" he screamed. Their surroundings were fading at an alarming rate, meaning the memory erasure was well underway.

Stan shrugged. "Eh, it's not like I was using this space for much anyways."

'This can't be happening!' Bill's omniscient mind that gifted him an unlimited domain of knowledge to tease and manipulate his victims became utterly useless. This frightening sensation of helplessness and fear he thought was exclusive to mortals now infected every inch of his triangular body.

"Let me out of here!" The dream demon shrieked before turning around and attempting to blast open the closed door. Instead, only slivers of blue energy jumped around weakly in this hand. "Why isn't this working?!"

"Hey, look at me," Stanley ordered as he got up to tower over Bill. "Turn around and look at me, you one-eyed demon! You're a real wise-guy, but you made one fatal mistake: you messed with my family."

"You're making a mistake! I'll give you anything!" Bill hysterically begged at his feet. His eye flashed the wealth and gifts he could offer, hoping for an impossible mercy. "Money! Fame! Riches! Infinite power! Your own galaxy! Please!"

Stan's hateful glare remained unchanged. He watched as Bill's corruption became increasingly severe, causing the dream demon to erratically change forms and melt into an unstable crimson pyramid.

"No! What's happening to me?!" screamed Bill. As the excruciating pain began overwhelming him, he cursed those who led him to his demise. He cursed Stan. He cursed Ford. He cursed their friends and accomplices. He cursed Gravity Falls. But most of all, he cursed Pine Tree and Shooting Star.

Then in all the chaos, something caught his eye. It was a framed picture on Stan's nightstand, showing him with those wretched twins. Yet Bill didn't see it that way. For the first time since meeting those two, Bill sensed raw untamed power instead of usual cowardice. How could he overlook what they truly were? A sudden desperation to acquire that picture materialized in his rapidly decaying mind.

He had an epiphany. Mustering up what little was left of his energy, he relayed one final, barely understandable message.

" **A-X-O-L-O-T-L! My time has come to burn! I invoke the ancient power that I may return!** "

As soon as he finished saying the incantation, Bill reached out for the picture. "STAAANNLLEEEEY!"he roared. Unfortunately for him, he met him with a fist square in the eye. The punch induced a nucleic shockwave of red electricity and energy that shattered the entirety of the dream demon.

Bill could only watch as Stan picked up and looked at the picture. He barely made out what he muttered to himself before being plunged into blackness. And silence.

Blackness. And silence.

Blackness. And silence.

Blackness. And silence.

* * *

At a heavily forested area in Gravity Falls, the petrified body of the dream demon known as Bill Cipher was all that remained of him. The small and unremarkable statue was entirely stone, like the victim of his own Eye-Bats, with its right arm outreached as if to shake a hand that will never be there. Slimy mold and moss consumed the lower half of his body and outgrowing shrubs hid him from the view of hikers who passed by once in a blue moon.

A few weeks after Gravity Falls was rebuilt and Mayor Cutebiker announced the "Never Mind All That" Act, Soos and Melody were taking their weekly stroll in the forest to appreciate nature, talk about life and discover new attractions for the Mystery Shack.

For Soos, life as Mr. Mystery at the Shack was good. Although he did not have Stan's finesse and scammy methods, he attracted plentiful customers in other ways he kept notes of during the summer: arcade machines, weekly dance parties and movie nights. Although the place was definitely quieter and less fun with the older Pines twins out on an expedition in the Arctic Ocean and the younger ones back in California, the trio of Melody, Wendy and Abuelita provided great company nonetheless.

As for Melody, her relationship with Soos was an adventure in itself. There was never a dull moment during her time at the Shack or anywhere around Gravity Falls. Right now in fact, they were holding hands and seemed to be sharing a good laugh.

"Ha ha ha ho ho ho ha ha ha!" bellowed Soos. It echoed through the trees, causing several birds to fly away.

"Wow can't lie, that was pretty good," Melody said.

Soos flashed his toothy grin. "Thanks dude. Now let's hear your fake laugh."

"Ok here goes." Before she could give a shot at Soos's challenge, she spotted something peculiar in the bushes up ahead. "Wait, what the heck is that?" she asked with sudden intrigue.

Soos squinted at what she was pointing at. Lo and behold, there was a grey object poking out from a mass of green shrubs. It was longish and glistened under the honey-colored sunlight. "Hmm, I don't know." he declared, "Let's find out. But be careful, it could be something dangerous like a zombie or gnome or ladder. Stan always told me to be on the lookup for suspicious stuff in these areas." Melody laughed, obviously oblivious to what he actually meant.

Soos inched closer to the shrubs, Melody closely following, until he was within arm's length of the object. Tiptoeing around it, Soos realized there were four other identical objects behind it. He gasped.

"W-what is it?" whispered Melody.

"I think it's a hand." With sweat now dripping down his face, he gathered up his courage and carefully reached his hand over. Then in one swift motion, he parted away the bushes to reveal Bill's petrified statue. The dream demon had his hand extended to them as if wanting a greeting.

"Ahhhhhhh!" the two frightfully screamed in unison and jumped back.

Soos clutched onto his girlfriend. Despite the town's insistence at forgetting what happened, memories of the dream demon mutating the town and torturing his friends were still fresh in his head. "I-I-I don't understand, I thought he was defeated …"

Melody, on the other hand, leaned in for a closer look. The statue depicting a triangle with a single eye, tophat and skinny limbs was made up of what appeared to be ageing granite that was covered in splotches of wilted mosses. "Wait, I think it's just a stone statue." she remarked. She broke free of her boyfriend's grasp and walked cautiously over again.

"Melody don't! Remember what Mayor Cutebiker said during that town meeting? Let's just try and not revisit all that jazz." pleaded Soos.

"Don't be like that Soos." she said, rolling her eyes. "It's obviously just a really well-made work of art. Besides, it looks like it can make a great attraction back at the Shack if we fix it up a little bit."

"You're freaking me out man!" Soos panted as he nervously looked left and right.

Just as Melody's hand were millimeters away from giving the statue a handshake, a crack suddenly appeared on the hat. "The statue's alive!" Soos yelled. He bounded over to his fear-stricken girlfriend in two long strides, picked her up and proceeded to sprint back down the trail where they came from. The bushes he pushed aside earlier fell back in place, concealing Bill's petrified form once again.

An hour later as the sky began to darken, another crack appeared. This one stretched the length of the statue from fingertip to fingertip. At midnight, there would be a third one that vertically bisected the eye. Then another. And then another.

* * *

A few days later, the statue was almost completely covered in a web of cracks. As an unknowing deer grazing by it accidentally bumped into its outstretched arm, the statue began to violently vibrate, sending the deer and several small vermin scampering off into the woods. The vibrating continued and increased in intensity, moving aside the dirt and grass from beneath the statue. When a piece of stone dislodged from Bill's eye to reveal shimmering yellow light underneath, the vibrating abruptly stopped. There was a bright flash as a translucent spirit escaped from the exposed yellow light. The spirit quickly took the form of a yellow triangle with thin limbs and a tall hat.

Bill Cipher had returned.

The ghost of the dream demon tumbled in the air awkwardly. He had been awakened into this strange green environment. He took a minute to take in the earthy ambience, which felt foreign and unnatural to him. "W-w-where am I?" whispered Bill. "I-I-Is this death?"

Death was supposed to be eternal blackness and silence full of anguish and torture. He looked around the woods at the tall coniferous trees around him, a flowing stream nearby and small forest creatures roaming around. This was probably worse. Just then, something white splattered onto the shoulder of his petrified form. He quickly averted his gaze upwards to catch sight of the offending bird as it flew off into the blue sky.

"Yup, this is death alright." he muttered and imagined removing every single bone from the bird's body. To his astonishment, nothing happened. The bird squawked loudly and disappeared from sight. "What the - where are my powers? I controlled matter and space and time. I was all powerful!" he stammered.

Just then, the memories came crashing back to him: his eon-long rest disrupted by Gideon's conjuring, toying with the Pines family to open the interdimensional rift, battling Gravity Falls' survivors, and finally … his defeat. Bill's eye furrowed and hands clenched in anger at the realization. 'Billions upon billions of years of meticulous planning wasted!' Weirdmagaddeon was supposed to be his Magnus Opus of ascension into Godhood, the very overtaking of a realm and torturing its inhabitants to demonstrate how sadistic a mind can be! Yet here he was, back on the planet he failed to take over. There were no signs of Weirdmagaddeon ever happening, apart from the petrified physical body of his.

And to add further insult to injury, he couldn't even exact his powers on a bird now. Trying to suppress the possibility that he was now mortal, Bill noticed a deer eating grass across a stream. "Y-Y-You! You'll be the second to taste the return of Bill Cipher!" He snapped his fingers and waited for its teeth to be pulled out. But like with the bird, nothing happened again to the deer, who glanced up curiously then resumed grazing.

Dread and panic clouded his mind. Had he been reincarnated into the same species as those puny humans he terrorized a lifetime ago? He looked at his reflection in the stream. Nope, it was still him.

"Ok calm down Bill. You can probably still change forms at least." breathed the dream demon. He thought hard about morphing into his corrupted red form that increased his size and turned his eye black. It was his most iconic transformation, which he'd done millions of times in the past to intimidate those who stood in his way. Unfortunately, his mental straining went nowhere. Peering back into the stream, his pathetic yellow body was still floating lazily in the air.

"No no no, this can't be happening! What in the world is wrong with me?!" Bill screamed. Just then, he picked up human chatter in the vicinity. Flying upwards, he sees a group of teenagers talking amongst themselves while walking down an adjacent trail. And of course, their names were … their names were … Dang it! The same mind that fetched him information about anything in the world at will was now useless too.

Bill sighed. Redhead, Mascara, Chubby, Cellphone , Blonde and Slick, he nicknamed them by their most distinctive features. Fortunately, he recognized them; they were amongst the many human building blocks in his throne!

Bill materialized himself in front of them and distraughtly waved his arms around. "Hey you guys, remember me? I'm the guy who almost enslaved you all and destroyed your entire planet. I also own that awesome pyramid that floats in the sky. You guys made up my throne. No? Come on, I can't be that forgettable! I was gonna make your dimension into the party that never ends."

Redhead stopped and looked around confusedly. "Hey you guys hear something?" she asked.

Her friends unanimously replied with nopes. Slick and Blonde were busy feeding berries to Chubby and cheering him on, while Cellphone texted away at that handheld human contraption of hers.

Redhead shrugged before passing right through Bill along with the others. He was indeed invisible. Just as he was about to rage some more, the ground began rumbling. The trees shook, dropping their leaves and fruits to the ground, while birds flew off into the sky and animals darted away.

"Whoa what the heck is happening?" screeched Mascara.

"Status update: caught in the middle of an earthquake. Feeling dangerous." Cellphone remarked nonchalantly.

"Come on dudes, we have to get out of here." shouted Redhead. The group promptly ran down the trail, leaving an equally livid and confused Bill in the dust.

Without warning, the teenagers and escaping animals suddenly came to an abrupt stop. The ground ceased its rumbling as well. The stream flowed to a complete pause. Tiny bugs buzzing around to and fro froze in place. It was as if the entire forest came to a complete standstill, except for the dream demon himself.

"I guess I can still control time at least." grumbled Bill. "But this feeling of powerlessness, this is so stupid!"

Suddenly, the clouds in the sky parted to give way to a glimmering rift of amber-colored light, causing him to shield his eye. When the light died down, he could not believe what was in front of him.

The Great Axolotl, Creator of the Universe and Spacetime, floated on a haloed nimbus above him. Its enormous white body, pulsating with a warm aura, was accented with subtle streaks of the most brilliant red and fleshy gills rose up and down with every breath that rustled the trees and grasses. It had stopped time itself, just to speak with Bill.

" _ **In credit of my celestial reign, the demon of dreams lives again.**_ " The Axolotl's heavenly voice boomed across the forest, sounding like many people speaking in unison. Its giant black eyes formed a piercing stare that was fixated on Bill.

Immediately, he was on his knees bowing. Even if everybody who crossed his path knew of him as a being of pure evil, Bill nonetheless still heeded in the right situation. This happened to be the only one. The Great Axolotl was the sole being that was superior to him. Vastly superior in fact. He absolutely did not want to invoke its wrath, especially given it rose to the summon of his dying wish.

Bill took a deep breath. "Oh Great Axolotl, I thank you greatly for allowing me a second chance at life. I will not disappoint in my quest to conquer this realm! But …" he meekly showed his hands and tried conjuring up blue flames, the easiest trick in any sorcerer's handbook. Weak sparks jumped around in his palms instead. "... my powers are gone."

" _ **Defeated by mortals you were, arrogance was your greatest err. Twin of Sixer you failed to see, as such in this state you will be.**_ "

As soon as the Axolotl finished speaking, its eyes blinked. Immediately, Bill's surroundings changed from that of the forest to the decrepit den inside Stan's mind that would soon serve as his final resting place. The great uncle himself was up on his feet unmoving, but sported a laughing expression and pointed a finger at him. Seeing the inferno blue flames consuming everything around him brought back haunting flashbacks that hit his guts like a sledgehammer.

' _... memory gun, pretty clever huh …_ '

' _... welcome to my mind. Surprised you didn't recognize it ..._ '

' _... you made one fatal mistake: you messed with my family …_ '

The pent-up anger that was building up inside of him since he escaped that petrified statue was involuntarily let out all at once. Bill hurled every possible curse and insult in his vocabulary at Stan. He shook his fists and made obscene gestures. He then began flying up to the old man to sock him in the jaw, but was met by an invisible force field that sent him sprawling back to the ground. Next thing he knew, the living room and Stan was gone and he was back in the forest.

The dream demon looked up meekly at the Axolotl, taken aback at what just happened. He expected sympathy, even if the Axolotl was supposed to be neutral. And being confined to this helpless spirit state forever? Unacceptable!

"Arrogance? Failed to see? Great Axolotl, Weirdmagaddeon was prophesied for billions of years, which is how long I spent cooped up in my Nightmare Realm preparing for it. I've come way too far just to lose everything in a blink of an eye! The least you can do is give me another chance." begged Bill pitifully.

The Axolotl continued staring down at Bill. He could almost feel its quasi-dimensional brain deciding whether to keep up with his rants or to just vanquish him from existence permanently. He decided to continue taking his chances.

"I can't continue living like this! I am a being of pure energy and no weakness … or was. Keeping me at the same level as these weak mortals is a waste of time, space and energy, and you Great Axolotl should know that very well."

The Axolotl's eyes twitched. There was a lengthy pause prior to it speaking again. " _ **I have considered your request, but should you really be blessed? Given your failure to take this realm? Given your failure to capture the helm?**_ "

The Axolotl blinked. Bill's environment changed again. This time, he found himself standing at the outskirts of the charred ruins of Gravity Falls. The mostly-destroyed town cowered in the presence of his Fearamid and the interdimensional portal in the sky that spewed out Weirdness and demonic sorcery from the Nightmare Realm. It appeared Weirdmagaddeon was going on as planned, but he wasn't fooled.

"Why have you brought me here, Great Axolotl? To rub my failures in my face? Because that's not cool man." shouted Bill, assuming the Axolotl's essence was all around him.

Suddenly, the Fearamid exploded into millions of pieces that were subsequently sucked into the portal. In a matter of seconds, his hench-maniacs surrounding the Mystery Shack and its occupants, all the Weirdness that infected the town and the burning redness of the sky followed the same fate as they disappeared screaming through the portal.

' _NOOO!_ ' Bill was almost in tears at the sight of Weirdmagaddeon being banished back into the Nightmare Realm. Yet before he could grieve any more, he was back in the forest. The Axolotl was still there, judging with its beady black eyes, waiting for his answer. When he calmed down from that terrifying memory trip, Bill thought hard of a reply. "Um, yes?"

" _ **Your powers will return in due time …**_ "

He somersaulted in the air. "Yes, thank you Great Axolotl!" he exclaimed.

" _ **But first you must oblige these eight rhymes. They are your final prophecy, your fate now fully relies on thee.**_ " said the Axolotl.

"Bring it on Great Axolotl, I'm all ears."

" _ **Taking the Falls had left you defeated,**_

_**Thus, your destiny is uncompleted.** _

_**Now that you're under my merciful gaze,** _

_**One ultimate chance permits you to raze.**_ "

' _Weirdmagaddeon isn't cancelled after all!_ ' Bill excitedly thought. ' _This undeserving world will become my playground once again._ ' Then again, the same question dawned on him. How was he supposed to exact his rule if he was powerless? The sinking feeling of being on the same level as the mortals was unbearable to even think about.

" _ **To heal, you must possess one untapped,**_

 _ **Then your true form will no longer be trapped.**_ "

Well that burning question was answered. But wait, what or who was an untapped? And why must he possess it? The more the Axolotl prophesied, the more questions he had.

" _ **But a warning you must obey henceforth,**_

 _ **Beware the might of The Third and The Fourth.**_ "

"The Third and The Fourth." Bill repeated. What could the Axolotl be talking about? The ambiguity of the Prophecy both annoyed and terrified the heck out of him. One wrong move could spell the end of his existence … permanently. He needed clarifications, answers to ensure his rebirth was successful. "Great Axolotl, I have so many questions still! What do you mean by blood of an untapped? Who or what or where is The Third and The Fourth? Can I still hold loud raves in my Fearamid?"

Bad move. The Axolotl's eyes grew blacker than black. Instead of saying anything new, the Axolotl only reaffirmed Bill's doubts, this time with much more boom in its voice. " _ **'Tis a warning you must obey henceforth, Beware the might of The Third and The Fourth.**_ "

Seconds later, the Axolotl disappeared as quickly as he came in another shimmering light rift. Then, time was unpaused. The forest animals ran away, stream's water resumed chortling, bugs buzzed around, the teenagers tripped and landed on their behinds in unison.

"What … just happened?" said Slick.

Redhead picked herself up. "I don't know and I don't intend on finding out. Let's get the heck out of here!" And with that, the teenagers ran off into the sunset.

Bill cursed loudly. He hated being left hanging. ' _The Third and The Fourth …_ ' He thought long and hard about the Prophecy. He was back at square one, an unremarkable yellow triangle with a silly hat and more bark than bite with no hench-maniacs or Fearamid. Earth, the realm that was supposed to be his, was now his prison. Reinstating Weirdmagaddeon seemed to be lifetimes away.

Despite all the setbacks, Bill was still a demon of sheer determination and malevolence. Billions of years in the Nightmare Realm hardened his mind and soul. Reality and time were under his control, and by taking over the body of an "untapped", it will be his again. He looked at his petrified form on the forest floor. It reminded him of those tiny little mortals running around Gravity Falls, turned to stone by his Eye-Bats then brought back to form his throne. That was his past self. Naively opportunistic and laughably selfish. Constantly trying to trick humans like Sixer and Pine Tree and Shooting Star into giving him information what his omniscient mind should have already. That was what led to his defeat.

"I have to admit, I sort of underestimated what those adorable mortals were capable of. But this time, I won't. I will not have to pry their minds and dreams to search for stuff, because they will already be corpses when I lay my eye on them!" Bill monologued.

He quickly formed a plan. He could not survive long in this powerless spirit form, needing the body of "one untapped" to regain his powers. ' _One untapped … one untapped … one untapped …_ '

Then it dawned on him. That framed picture he set his eye upon inside Stan's Mindscape moments before his death. It showed Pine Tree and Shooting Star with their great uncle. But he didn't see that. Instead, he saw -

' _Raw, untamed power._ '

Even from that picture alone, the powerful potential contained within those two was unmistakable. This had to be what the Axolotl was hinting at! Of course it would be untapped, because a reality-warping being like himself would be the only ones able to detect such unused gifts. Time was ticking. As a powerless spirit he trembled before the world, but once he got his former self back galaxies upon galaxies would tremble before him.

' _No! There's probably some trick behind what the Great Axolotl said._ '

Too late, his mind was firmly set: the twins were what he needed. The thought of regaining his powers was overwhelming. Without thinking twice, Bill sped off in the direction of Gravity Falls.

The Third and The Fourth Prophecy crap could wait. Right now though, he had some children he need to make into corpses.


	2. Back Home

The six-hour bus ride back to Piedmont, California was almost an adventure in itself. The Speedy Beaver bus drove through miles of lush boreal forests, countless valleys and lakes, sparse farmland, and finally into the familiar recluse of civilization as barns and road signs whizzed by. All the while, Dipper stared out the window. Mabel and Waddles slept peacefully at his side.

The scenery didn't interest him. It was nothing compared to Gravity Falls or the Pacific Northwest for that matter.

Dipper sighed sadly. The initial optimism he had with Mabel to "head into the unknown" was slowly fading away. He began reflecting on the past two months.

What happened that summer was certainly the most fun anybody would have ever wished for. Going from working rounds at the Mystery Shack to finding out your sister's first boyfriend was a bunch of gnomes to fighting off waves of zombies alongside government agents to learning about Weirdness with your long lost great uncle to defending the town against an interdimensional triangle demon? It was still a little overwhelming for Dipper to completely process. The vivid memories buzzed in his mind like bees, refusing to be put down, instead longing to get out and spread themselves around. Unfortunately for obvious reasons, they couldn't.

Wendy told him to read the farewell card she gave him "the next time you miss Gravity Falls". He looked down at it and read over the signed names and goodbyes for the twentieth time that bus ride. Then he slowly touched his head, feeling Wendy's soft hat. Waves of emotion coursed through his body. He absolutely didn't want to leave deep down.

' _No! Your sister needs you. Besides, don't you want to see Mom and Dad again?_ '

Dipper sighed again. It was true, he did dearly miss his parents. Plus, the thought of living away from Mabel was unbearable to even consider. Despite all that, he didn't know if he was ready to return to his ordinary, mundane life after a summer spent at Gravity Falls. A life of normalness and predictability that Dipper once appreciated became distasteful to him.

As the bus chugged along, Dipper realized the fun they had came at another cost other than making him want to relive it over and over again. It had to stay a secret. And who else to spill the beans better than …

He hurriedly turned to his side and shook his sister. "Mabel, wake up!"

Mabel shot up almost immediately. "Oh boy, are we home yet? Waddles and I CAN'T wait to see Mom and Dad again!" she excitedly yelled. "Well maybe not Waddles but they'll love him for sure!"

Dipper looked around cautiously before responding. "Not exactly … I have to tell you something really important. Keep your voice down."

"Uh oh, is there a ghost on the bus? Is the bus driver a hot vampire? … please be a hot vampire please be a hot vampire."

Dipper groaned in his mind. "No! You can't be saying all that supernatural, journal-esque stuff out loud," he snapped, " In fact, we can't let anyone know what happened this summer."

"Huh? You mean – " She shifted into her best impression of Blendin Blandin using Waddles as the time machine tape measurer, "There was a time anomaly when we got to Gravity Falls and after we got out, summer was over. Therefore, we did nothing for two months."

Dipper laughed. "No, but that impression is spot on. I meant everything normal people haven't and shouldn't see we absolutely cannot tell. Not our Piedmont friends, not our neighbors, not even Mom and Dad!"

"That's basically what we did the whole summer." whimpered his sister.

"I know it's hard. Believe me, it's for the best."

"Then how would anyone know what we've been doing at Gravity Falls? I have been waiting so long to share my scrapbook of memories!" Mabel began to pull her scrapbook from her backpack, which Dipper hastily pushed back down.

Convincing Mabel was tougher than he originally thought. Then he remembered his sister was pretty tight with their great uncles, namely Stan.

"Listen sis, you know how Grunkle Stan has a twin brother right?"

"Well duh", giggled Mabel.

"All this time we, including Mom and Dad and basically everyone in Gravity Falls, thought Grunkle Stan was Grunkle Ford. But it turns out Grunkle Stan faked his death to assume Grunkle Ford's identity, because he knew people thought of him as a lying cheat who couldn't be trusted."

Mabel was silent, probably listening for once to Dipper's reasoning.

"And you remember how I accidentally summoned a bunch of zombies who infected Soos," said Dipper while wincing at the incident. "But we managed to defeat them all by having us sing karaoke with you?"

Mabel beamed, clearly proud of how she saved their butts that time. "And to think you and Grunkle Stan didn't even want to do it in the first place …" she said.

"What I'm getting at here is if we let our parents know any of that or anything they perceive as out of the ordinary, we'll never be allowed to go back to Gravity Falls next summer. You know how Mom and Dad are. They're very protective of us."

She gasped. Waddles oinked. "I won't tell anyone then bro-bro!" She smiled and pretended to zip her mouth shut and throw away the key. Dipper eagerly returned the gesture, meaning their secret was sealed. Hopefully.

"Now that that's out of the way, I also compiled a list of excuses to tell Mom and Dad and anyone who asks. For starters –"

"Wait, we have to lie to them too?" Mabel exclaimed with a frown.

"Again Mabel, think of it as a way to guarantee we get to go back next year. You have to trust me! Here, when they ask what we did over the summer just tell them we –"

"Were forced to work at the Mystery Shack 24/7 without break and yelled at by Grunkle Stan who didn't pay us anything! Except for my grappling hook!" Mabel whipped out her prized possession and shot it upwards to put a sizable dent in the bus's roof.

"That makes us sound like we were slaves … which we were."

"We didn't work a single day and instead stayed inside playing video games, watching TV, eating candy, and drinking soda!" She then kicked down one of Dipper's backpacks. Dozens of empty Pitt cans fell out onto the floor. He blushed and quickly bent down to shove them back inside.

"Definitely not that either, it goes against everything Mom and Dad sent us there for!" Dipper put his notebook back in his pocket. "Ok, you know what? I'll tell them what we did first and you just nod your head and agree. It'll be easier that way."

Suddenly, the pig was shoved into his face. "And Waddles too, dumb-dumb!"

"Ok, and Waddles too."

* * *

Not long after that, the bus pulled into Piedmont Central Station where Mom and Dad were waiting. As an ecstatic Mabel screamed in delight, wrapped them in a tight embrace and introduced Waddles to their bewilderment, Dipper offered polite hugs. He was still pondering hard about their summer adventures.

' _Did we really just save the world from an interdimensional triangle demon? This must be a dream ..._ '

He watched Mabel shove Waddles into the arms of a dumbfounded Dad. He inspected the pig curiously. "So … you won this pig at the fair because you correctly guessed his weight?"

"Yup! The guy running told his name was fifteen pounder, and after a lot of calculation I guessed fifteen pounds. And his weight was actually fifteen pounds!"

"Interesting …"

Dipper decided to stick with Mom. The family walked towards their car under the evening sky.

"You glad to be back home, sweetie?" she asked warmly while offering to hold his belongings.

"No it's fine Mom, I got this. And yea, I guess I am … haha." As soon as the words left Dipper's mouth, he mentally facepalmed. There was absolutely no sincerity in his voice at all. Why was that? He did (or thought he did) miss Piedmont, so why sound so fake all of a sudden?

Mom laughed gently and placed a hand on his shoulder. Tingles were sent down Dipper's spine, making him realize how much he missed her touch. "I'm very glad to hear that Dipper, we missed you guys too. Although I do wish you guys would've called us more often. Speaking of which, how was that four-star hotel Grunkle Stan got you guys?"

' _Shoot, what was she talking - oh right, Gideon._ ' Dipper gulped and opened his mouth to lie again. "The four-star hotel? Uh … yeah it was great it was cool. We uh … Great Uncle Stan got it for us because we worked so hard for him at the Mystery Shack!"

"That's nice, but why didn't you guys call us more?"

'Yikes, did we even call Mom and Dad at all?' Dipper guiltily thought. ' _Did Grunkle Stan even allow us to use the Mystery Shack's phone apart from answering customers' calls? How come everyone else had a cellphone. They sure would've come in useful during Weirdma -_ ' His train of thought stopped abruptly. He looked at Mabel, who was joyfully conversing with Dad.

"You ok sweetheart?" Mom asked. There was a noticeable hint of concern in her voice. Did she find out already about their predicament?

He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs to let the whole world know how close they were to total annihilation at the hands of Bill Cipher. Instead, he elected to play dumb. He prayed his eyes, which had seen some pretty dark stuff, wouldn't give anything away.

"Umm of course Mom." He laughed nervously. "Why do you ask?"

Mom smiled. "You normally don't look this tired, but I guess that's what happens when you work at supposedly the funnest roadside attraction in Oregon. Though people have been telling me it's more of a tourist trap."

Funnest wasn't the best choice of words in Dipper's onion. Nothing was fun about cleaning fake monster attractions and pandering to selfish customers. Fun instead was hidden in the basement of the Shack, inside the surrounding woods, during the Falls' numerous events and at Crash Site Omega. Before Dipper could reply, they arrived at their car in the parking lot. He slowly got in, suddenly acutely aware of the bruising he accumulated from the past week. Fighting Bill Cipher and his hench-maniacs was no painless feat.

"Ow," he muttered as he sat down. Mabel was already there, Waddles snuggled comfortably in her lap.

"You do know you're going to be fully responsible for that pig Mabel. I already got you two to take care of," chuckled Dad from the driver's seat.

"Don't worry Mom and Dad, Waddles is an indoor pig and much more well-behaved than Dipper!" Mabel said while playfully poking her brother in the cheek.

"Hey, I don't chew clothes or roll around on the carpet all day," shot back Dipper as he slapped away her hand away and poked her back.

The drive back to their house was the final catalyst in cementing Piedmont as home once again. Dipper's eyes stared outside the entire time, unimpressed at what he formerly thought was a cool place to live. The Californian suburb, as he now expected, was a boring sight to behold. There were no forests or lakes or interesting townsfolk or monsters, just family after family chasing the "American Dream" whilst living in identical, two-storey houses. If only they knew what adventures awaited them in the Oregon wilderness.

Time must've flown by, because the next thing he knew, their car pulled up to the driveway of one of the two-storey houses. Home at last. As Mabel bounded out with Waddles and her bags in tow, Dipper took his time. He breathed, suddenly filled with determination, picked up his stuff, and walked to the front door. ' _Remember when we first arrived at Gravity Falls? You thought it was boring at first too, but look at how that turned -_ '

"SURPRISE!"

Their Piedmont friends leapt from behind sofas and tables. The inside of their usually bland house was decorated with colorful party streamers, bright birthday banners and loads of confetti falling from the ceiling.

"HAPPY BELATED THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY, MABEL AND DIPPER!" they shouted in unison.

"Aw you guys, I missed you all so much!" Mable screamed back gleefully before rushing over and tackling them with a big hug.

On the table was a cake, not unlike the one they shared back at Gravity Falls. Dipper smiled. He was so caught up in his thoughts back on the bus and car that he forgot it was still the first official day of his teens! A split second later, a party hat was slapped on his head as he was pulled into the second birthday party of the day.

* * *

Later that night after loads of cake, treats, and presents, Dipper laid wide awake in bed. Mabel and Waddles slept at the foot of his bed.

He had just gotten ready for bed when there was a knock at his door. It was Mabel, in her PJs and holding Waddles and her pillow. Her eyes were starry. "Wanna have one last sleepover for the summer?"

The twins slept in the same attic in the Mystery Shack for the past two months. The one time they didn't after that carpet incident, Dipper never felt lonelier. He knew Mabel felt the same way. "Of course Mabel, make yourself at home." he said.

Now that she was soundly sleeping, Dipper was alone with his thoughts again. The return to normal life was already well underway. He had struggled putting his travel belongings away while coping with the fact that eighth grade began in a couple of days. This ordinariness that he should've felt accustomed to suddenly was foreign. Even the scents of washed linen and pine freshener in his room smelt inferior to the earthy, dirt-ridden musk of the attic.

Why couldn't he just accept that he'll have to leave it all behind for the next ten months? The memories that began to flood back to him told him otherwise.

He remembered Grunkle Stan, a gruff oldie with a surprisingly soft and caring heart.

He remembered discovering Journal 3, and the countless adventures across town it brought.

He remembered their first encounter with the supernatural, when Norman turned out to be a bunch of gnomes who wanted Mabel to be their Queen.

He remembered Soos, the hilarious handyman who loved doing "man" things and going on adventures with him and Mabel.

He remembered his sudden infatuation with Wendy that made him realize love was a very complicated matter. Her friends were pretty chill too, save for Robbie.

He remembered Gideon Gleeful. Nothing more.

He remembered the spoilt princess Pacifica Northwest, who turned out to just be an unfortunate victim of manipulative parents.

He remembered the government agents coming to their door with malicious intent only to have their minds erased moments later.

He remembered Grunkle Ford stepping out of the multidimensional portal, and his ecstaticness at finally meeting the Journals' author. What followed was probably the craziest days of his life.

And last but not least, he remembered the ultimate battle at Weirdmagaddeon that reaffirmed the feeling he was capable of being much more than what he thought he was. Even if they were inches away from allowing Bill to take over the world.

The supernatural occurrences, a hidden yet integral part of Gravity Falls' identity, couldn't be forgotten either. Discovering Journal 3 in the woods ignited a part of him he didn't know existed. It was just … exhilarating for him to discover more about the unknowns, even if he had to keep it locked away in his mind for the rest of his life. Like the moment Grunkle Ford offered him an apprenticeship to teach him the Weirdness of Gravity Falls. Or meeting fascinating beasts like the Manotaurs. Or using cryptic devices like the Memory Gun or height-altering crystals.

A single tear rolled down Dipper's cheek. All those adventures he had at Gravity Falls were just so much better than his everyday routine here at Piedmont. Sure, he got his sister, his few childhood friends, his parents and this house he lived in since forever, but that was basically it. It didn't take from the fact that he was commonly ousted for being a loser and nerd, someone with few social skills and "strange" passions. Meanwhile at Gravity Falls, he discovered he was often than not a leader with many close and admirable friends and thoroughly praised for his works around town.

Dipper sat up to the sight of his sister snoring blissfully. Or was that Waddles snoring, who knows. Oh how he wished he had her carefree demeanor. She was just so adaptable to every situation she was put in, always accepting and optimistic, and with the purest heart. All that attracted her a large number of friends wherever she went. And then he looked at himself. A comparatively lonely soul with a natural zeal for adventure and curiosity that was ripped from its thriving ground too early, too soon. The apprenticeship offer by Grunkle Ford could've been his ticket out –

' _No! We've already been through this. Mabel and I will remain together forever and ever. And stop thinking so negatively. It's not good for you._ '

There was no denying the obvious. The conclusion was, he didn't just miss Gravity Falls. He wanted to be there more than anything in the world.

"Everything ok, unsleepyhead?"

"Mabel! I thought you were sleeping."

"I was getting my snooze, but you know your whispering isn't as quiet as you think." giggled his sister as she coddled Waddles.

"Alright." He sighed. "Honestly, I've been feeling kind of down since we got back. I just think our life here is just so boring and predictable compared to Gravity Falls. Plus all the people there are nicer too."

Mabel laughed, shot up onto his bed and threw her pillow at him. Dipper laughed as it hit him in the face before throwing it back at her. "Dipper, don't say that. We've been in Piedmont for like 12 years. You gotta be somewhat glad you're back here."

"Mom and Dad I guess."

"Your friends too, right?" said Mabel as she rolled over to face her brother upside down.

Dipper shot her a sad look. He didn't have too many good friends here, because he didn't try as hard to make and keep their connections. Their summer vacation however reminded him why friendships were so important. So instead of answering Mabel's question, he asked her one of his own. "Don't you kinda miss Gravity Falls?"

"Of course I do, silly! But I miss Mom and Dad and Piedmont too."

"Yeah yeah, I understand. Somewhat."

"Don't you worry Dipper, next year we will for sure be going back and seeing them all again!" She cleared her throat. "Given that um, we stick to your plan."

"Do you still remember it?"

"I'll just echo whatever you say!"

Dipper smiled and laid back down on his bed. Not only was Mabel his twin, she was also his best friend who almost always gave him peace of mind, provided when she wasn't gushing over new romances every week. "Good night Mabel," he said, sleep slowly taking over his mind.

"Nighty night Dipper."

Oink oink!

"Good night to you too Waddles."

The first night back, no matter how happy he pretended to be, was bittersweet at best. Dipped turned around on his bed to look at Wendy's farewell card and hat placed neatly on his nightstand. "See you next summer!" in thick cursive now taunted him more instead of giving him closure. Instinctively, he shut his eyes and turned over again to face the wall.

' _I still have Mabel and Mom and Dad, all the books I can read and soda I can drink, and this house. And Gravity Falls will still be there … next summer. Cheer up dude!_ '

That was what Tyrone probably would've said to him if he was still alive. Dipper shut out that thought, and focused all his attention on getting some shut eye. He hoped to heck he could recover from this premature homesickness soon.

* * *

Dipper awoke suddenly in the middle of the night with a throat drier than the Sahara desert. He leaned over to reach for the glass of water usually on his nightstand. It wasn't there. He scooted himself to the edge of his bed and rummaged through his backpack. There were only empty Pitt cans in there. Not wanting to stay dehydrated any longer, he pulled himself out of bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

The room was quiet except for Waddles' (or Mabel's, probably Mabel's) soft snores. Dipper peered into the dark hallway prior to tiptoeing down the stairs. The fuzzy carpet felt strangely comforting against his bare feet, which had grown accustomed to the scratchy hardwood at the Mystery Shack.

Thankfully, he was no longer thinking about summer or Gravity Falls. Maybe he was too tired to, considering it was three in the morning. He dragged his body to the kitchen, blissfully unaware of someone waiting for him in the living room.

"Hey Dipper."

The boy jumped almost two feet in the air. He whipped around, and came face-to-face with Mom. She was sitting comfortably in her armchair, reading a book in the moonlight shining through the window.

' _I swear this is the most cliche setup for something supernatural to happen. But then again, it's Mom._ ' he thought as he drank greedily from his glass and waved at her.

"Whatcha doing up this late?" she asked with a warm smile.

"Just getting water Mom." said Dipper dryly. "What about you?"

"The usuals, I couldn't really sleep so I came downstairs to read. Oh that reminds me, have you read this summer?"

Dipper stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to add about Journals 3 to the list of mystery novels he finished. On one hand, Mom developed his passion for reading and investigating, so adding it would surely impress her. On the other hand, it nearly led him to his death. And would alchemy and the arcade be appreciated in this household? Before he could answer, Mom motioned for him to sit by her on the arm of the armchair. He hesitantly did so, still clutching his glass of water.

"I finished all the books I brought along with me. Although I had to stay up late to read them because Mabel accused me of talking too much while reading." he chuckled, thinking of the time when they had that huge fight.

Mom laughed lightly. "I'm delightfully surprised she still is as energetic as when she left. I thought she'd be spent by now. Instead, she comes back with a pig!"

Dipper nodded his head in agreement. "There was going to be a lot of trouble if Waddles didn't go with her." He remembered how Stan and Ford threatened the bus driver with brass knuckles and a gun. He'd never seen someone change their mind so quickly.

"I have been meaning to ask, I noticed you weren't quite yourself when we picked you guys up from the bus stop."

His heart skipped a beat. Was his plight that obvious? "W-w-what? N-no I'm fine. I am totally fine." he stammered. That secret needed to be kept secret, no matter the circumstance.

Mom responded by ruffling his messy brown hair lovingly and pulling him closer. "It's ok sweetheart, you can tell me anything."

Dipper was frozen in place. He tended to keep his close relationship with Mom covered, but deep down she was just as important to him as Mabel. In addition to being a bigger bookworm than he was, she was a great listener who would listen to whatever problem he had and therapeutically list possible solutions and/or her own personal thoughts. He also deeply missed those small affectionate moments she gave him, like how she was ruffling his hair right now. Dipper weighed his options carefully.

' _What the heck man, have you forgotten what you promised Mabel and literally everyone back at Gravity Falls?_ ' his thought interrupted. Immediately, he snapped back to his senses. "Nothing Mom, I'm just extremely tired. Good night." he said as he got up and limped back upstairs.

' _Ok, maybe you didn't have to be that rude to someone who was clearly trying to help you._ '

Dipper desperately wanted to believe that voice of reason since Mom could potentially alleviate the homesickness, but that could also jeopardize any future returns to Gravity Falls. Still, he couldn't quite believe how he forgot about her for almost all of the trip. The dilemma gnawed at his mind even after he got into bed. Yawning, he cleared his head and focused on sheeps jumping over fences. Right now he needed some shut-eye.


End file.
